With time running out on Ohio State's chances to win a game before the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes host Illinois in a rematch of last month's Illini win in Champaign.
Ohio State has lost nine games in a row and 14 of its past 15, and its three final contests of the regular season all come against opponents it’s already suffered defeats to. First up on that list is Illinois, which sits third in the conference standings and handed the Buckeyes aback on Jan. 24. While the single-digit margin suggests a close encounter, Ohio State only avoided a more lopsided result with a late push in garbage time.
The Buckeyes have home-court advantage in the rematch, but that hasn’t helped them much in their last four home games, and Brad Underwood and company are coming off their best win of the month. On Thursday, Illinois stopped a blazing-hot Northwestern team that had won five in a row to ascend to No. 21 in the AP poll and the second-place slot in the Big Ten standings. The Illini bested the Wildcats, 66-62, and now head on the road to face a team with significantly less momentum.
A win for Ohio State would mean little more than a sigh of relief after a seven-and-a-half week free fall, but any boost of confidence could help the Buckeyes ahead of a postseason run that will provide their only remaining chance at an NCAA Tournament berth.Ohio State has been hard-pressed to win any game over the past two months, but that’s been especially true in its second matchup with a particular opponent.
Ohio State beat Rutgers on a buzzer-beater on Dec. 8, but lost in overtime the following month. The Buckeyes blew out Northwestern on New Year’s Day, then dropped to the Wildcats at home by six points earlier this month. Purdue beat the Buckeyes by only two on Jan. 5, thenat Mackey Arena last weekend. After blowing Iowa out by 16 on Jan. 21, the Hawkeyes returned the favor in a 17-point rematch win on Feb. 16.Illini under .
Illinois has been elite on its home floor this season, but it’s a different story on the road. In true road games, the Illini are just 3-5 on the year, and they’ve lost their last three at Indiana, Penn State and Iowa. It’s been nearly a month since Illinois’ last road win, which came at Wisconsin on Jan. 28. Throw in neutral-site games and Illinois is still two games below .500 at 5-7 in 2022-23.
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